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Abstract:

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed
for a hybrid m-commerce system. Cash and electronic payment may be used
substantially interchangeably within the hybrid m-commerce system. In one
embodiment, cash change received from a transaction may be adjusted using
the system. In another embodiment, cash change may be received as a
change identifier. In yet another embodiment, a threshold may be defined
and utilized to automatically adjust the balance of one or more stored
value card account.

Claims:

1. A method for mobile commerce on a wireless device, the method
comprising: defining a stored value card account, wherein the stored
value account is associated with at least one merchant; defining a cash
transaction amount in response to paying cash in a transaction with a
merchant, the transaction resulting in a cash change amount; defining a
first amount in response to the cash transaction amount, wherein the
first amount adjusts the cash change amount resulting from the
transaction; transferring the first amount to the merchant; and deducting
the first amount from the stored value card account associated with the
merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: defining an unbranded
stored value card account, wherein the unbranded stored value card
account is operable to transfer an amount to and from the stored value
card account, further wherein the unbranded stored value card account is
not associated at least one merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cash change amount is a fractional
dollar amount, a whole dollar amount, or combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount is optimized to reduce
coin cash change associated with the cash change amount.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount is optimized to reduce
the quantity of banknotes associated with the cash change amount.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving a change
identifier corresponding to the cash change amount, wherein the
identifier is operable to adjust the balance of the unbranded account or
the stored value card account.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the change identifier is received via
an email, a short message service ("SMS") message, a microblog entry, a
paper receipt, a captured photograph, a near field communication ("NFC")
transmitted message, an alphanumeric code, a barcode, or combination
thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: redeeming the change
identifier; and adjusting the balance of the stored value card account or
the unbranded stored value card account.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising: defining a threshold amount
associated with the balance of the unbranded account; transferring an
amount from the unbranded account to the stored value card account if the
threshold amount is reached or exceeded.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising: defining a threshold
amount associated with the balance of the stored value card account; and
transferring an amount from the stored value card account to the
unbranded account if the balance is below the threshold amount.

11. A wireless device for mobile commerce, the wireless device
comprising: means for defining a stored value card account, wherein the
stored value account is associated with at least one merchant; means for
defining a cash transaction amount in response to paying cash in a
transaction with a merchant, the transaction resulting in a cash change
amount; means for defining a first amount in response to the cash
transaction amount, wherein the first amount adjusts the cash change
amount resulting from the transaction; means for transferring the first
amount to the merchant; and means for deducting the first amount from the
stored value card account associated with the merchant.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, further comprising: means for
defining an unbranded stored value card account, wherein the unbranded
stored value card account is operable to transfer an amount to and from
the stored value card account, further wherein the unbranded stored value
card account is not associated at least one merchant.

14. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce coin cash change associated with the cash change
amount.

15. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce the quantity of banknotes associated with the cash
change amount.

16. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising: means for
receiving a change identifier corresponding to the cash change amount,
wherein the identifier is operable to adjust the balance of the unbranded
account or the stored value card account.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the change identifier is
received via an email, a short message service ("SMS") message, a
microblog entry, a paper receipt, a captured photograph, a near field
communication ("NFC") transmitted message, an alphanumeric code, a
barcode, or combination thereof.

18. The wireless device of claim 16, further comprising: means for
redeeming the change identifier; and means for adjusting the balance of
the stored value card account or the unbranded stored value card account.

19. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising: means for
defining a threshold amount associated with the balance of the unbranded
account; and means for transferring an amount from the unbranded account
to the stored value card account if the threshold amount is reached or
exceeded.

20. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising: means for
defining a threshold amount associated with the balance of the stored
value card account; and means for transferring an amount from the stored
value card account to the unbranded account if the balance is below the
threshold amount.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having
a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable
program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for mobile
commerce, the method comprising: defining a stored value card account,
wherein the stored value account is associated with at least one
merchant; defining a cash transaction amount in response to paying cash
in a transaction with a merchant, the transaction resulting in a cash
change amount; defining a first amount in response to the cash
transaction amount, wherein the first amount adjusts the cash change
amount resulting from the transaction; transferring the first amount to
the merchant; and deducting the first amount from the stored value card
account associated with the merchant.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, the method further
comprising: defining an unbranded stored value card account, wherein the
unbranded stored value card account is operable to transfer an amount to
and from the stored value card account, further wherein the unbranded
stored value card account is not associated at least one merchant.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the cash change
amount is a fractional dollar amount, a whole dollar amount, or
combination thereof.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce coin cash change associated with the cash change
amount.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce the quantity of banknotes associated with the cash
change amount.

26. The computer program product of claim 22, the method further
comprising: receiving a change identifier corresponding to the cash
change amount, wherein the identifier is operable to adjust the balance
of the unbranded account or the stored value card account.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the change
identifier is received via an email, a short message service ("SMS")
message, a microblog entry, a paper receipt, a captured photograph, a
near field communication ("NFC") transmitted message, an alphanumeric
code, a barcode, or combination thereof.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, the method further
comprising: redeeming the change identifier; and adjusting the balance of
the stored value card account or the unbranded stored value card account.

29. The computer program product of claim 22, the method further
comprising: defining a threshold amount associated with the balance of
the unbranded account; and transferring an amount from the unbranded
account to the stored value card account if the threshold amount is
reached or exceeded.

30. The computer program product of claim 22, the method further
comprising: defining a threshold amount associated with the balance of
the stored value card account; and transferring an amount from the stored
value card account to the unbranded account if the balance is below the
threshold amount.

31. A wireless device for mobile commerce, the wireless device
comprising: a memory; a transceiver; and a processor operable to: define
a stored value card account, wherein the stored value account is
associated with at least one merchant; define a cash transaction amount
in response to paying cash in a transaction with a merchant, the
transaction resulting in a cash change amount; define a first amount in
response to the cash transaction amount, wherein the first amount adjusts
the cash change amount resulting from the transaction; transfer the first
amount to the merchant; and deduct the first amount from the stored value
card account associated with the merchant.

32. The wireless device of claim 31, the processor further operable to:
define an unbranded stored value card account, wherein the unbranded
stored value card account is operable to transfer an amount to and from
the stored value card account, further wherein the unbranded stored value
card account is not associated at least one merchant.

34. The wireless device of claim 31, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce coin cash change associated with the cash change
amount.

35. The wireless device of claim 31, wherein the first amount is
optimized to reduce the quantity of banknotes associated with the cash
change amount.

36. The wireless device of claim 32, the processor further operable to:
receive a change identifier via the transceiver corresponding to the cash
change amount, wherein the identifier is operable to adjust the balance
of the unbranded account or the stored value card account.

37. The wireless device of claim 36, wherein the change identifier is
received via an email, a short message service ("SMS") message, a
microblog entry, a paper receipt, a captured photograph, a near field
communication ("NFC") transmitted message, an alphanumeric code, a
barcode, or combination thereof.

38. The wireless device of claim 36, the processor further operable to:
redeem the change identifier; and adjust the balance of the stored value
card account or the unbranded stored value card account.

39. The wireless device of claim 32, the processor further operable to:
define a threshold amount associated with the balance of the unbranded
account; and transfer an amount from the unbranded account to the stored
value card account if the threshold amount is reached or exceeded.

40. The wireless device of claim 32, the processor further operable to:
define a threshold amount associated with the balance of the stored value
card account; and transfer an amount from the stored value card account
to the unbranded account if the balance is below the threshold amount.

[0002] Wireless devices are playing an increasingly important role in
users' lives. Millions of people carry a wireless device with them at all
times. While many simply use the calling functionality of the wireless
device, more people are using their wireless devices to browse the web,
read emails, purchase goods online, locate points-of-interest, etc. As
the functionality of wireless devices increases, users will rely on the
wireless for more than calling. In the near future, more wireless devices
will have functionality to pay for goods and services using the wireless
device as a payment means, which is often referred to as "mobile
commerce" or "m-commerce." However, cash will still be utilized
extensively, especially for low-cost transactions. An opportunity exists
to make cash transactions more efficient. Further, there exists and
opportunity to improve the state of current m-commerce technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts
throughout the various views unless otherwise indicated.

[0012]FIG. 7 depicts a process for transferring a balance to a stored
value card account; and

[0013]FIG. 8A through FIG. 8I depict a series of screenshots and use
cases of the hybrid m-commerce system in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] This detailed description is divided into various subsections to
assist the reader in understanding the solutions proposed herein. The
division between subsections does not import any limitation or
substantive division among the subsections i.e. the detailed description
should be viewed as a whole. The subsections are as follows: (1) terms of
art, (2) existing problems and proposed solutions, (3) components of the
proposed solutions, and (4) operation of the proposed solutions. To the
extent possible, the components of the solutions will be described and
defined earlier in the detailed description, and the operation of the
components as part of the solutions will be described later in the
detailed description.

Terms of Art

[0015] In this description, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean
"serving as an example, an instance, or an illustration." Any embodiment
described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as
preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0016] In this description, the term "application" may also include files
having executable content, such as: object code, scripts, byte code,
markup language files, and patches. In addition, an "application"
referred to herein, may also include files that are not executable in
nature, such as documents that may need to be opened or other data files
that need to be accessed or processed.

[0017] In this description, the terms "component," "module," "system,"
"record" and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity,
which may be hardware, software, software in execution, or any
combination thereof. For example, a component may be, but is not limited
to be, a processor, a process running on a processor, an object, an
executable, a thread of execution, a program, a computer, a wireless
device, or any combination thereof. By way of illustration, both an
application running on a computing device and the computing device may be
a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or
thread of execution. One or more components may be localized on one
computer and/or distributed among two or more computers. In addition,
these components may execute from various computer-readable media having
various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate by
way of local and/or remote processes.

[0018] In this description, the terms "electronic device," "communication
device," "wireless device," "wireless telephone," "wireless
communications device," and "wireless handset," and "computing device"
are used interchangeably. A wireless device may be a cellular telephone,
a pager, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a smartphone, a navigation
device, or a computer with a wireless connection.

[0020] Cash may be money represented in physical form. Cash may be
supported by a local government. Cash represents a small fraction of the
money supply in more modernized economies. Cash may be physically
embodied as banknotes or coins. Banknotes may be constructed from paper,
cloth, or combination thereof. Coins may be constructed from metal or
other durable substance. Metal coins may be minted from precious metals,
inexpensive metals, synthetic material, or combination thereof.

[0021] Change is an amount of money resulting from a cash transaction.
Change may be a fractional dollar amount, whole dollar amount, or
combination thereof. For example, $0.32 USD change is a fractional dollar
amount of change. Further, $1.00 USD change is a whole dollar amount of
change. Even further, $1.32 USD change is a fractional and whole dollar
amount of change. Change may be payable using banknotes, coins, or
combination thereof. Most commonly, fractional dollar amounts are payable
using coins and whole dollar amounts are payable using banknotes.

[0022] A stored value card account is a financial account associated with
a balance of money. The stored value card account may be associated with
one or more merchants. In one embodiment, the stored value card account's
balance may be accessible by using a stored value card. A stored value
card may resemble a plastic credit card. The stored value card may have a
magnetic stripe, smart chip, secure element, 1-D barcode, 2-D barcode,
scratch-off secure code, etc., all of which may be utilized to
communicate with points-of-sale and process payment. Stored value cards
may not have a name or other identification printed on them and thus may
be used by anyone. Some stored value cards may only be used to complete
purchases whereas other stored value cards may be "reloaded" by merchants
when the consumer contributes additional funds to the stored value card
account.

[0023] Stored value cards may be "open looped" or "closed loop." Open loop
stored value cards may be used at any merchant which accepts a
third-party credit card payment system. Closed loop stored value cards
are associated with one or more merchants and thus may only be accepted
at such merchants. In this description, the terms "stored value card,"
"gift card," "electronic gift certificate," "digital gift card," "prepaid
credit card," and "prepaid debit card," are used interchangeably.

[0024] A stored value card account may be "branded" and associated with a
particular merchant (e.g., Target, Walmart, Amazon.com, etc.).
Alternatively, a stored value card account may be "unbranded" and not
associated with a particular merchant. As used herein, the terms
"unbranded stored value card account" and "unbranded account" are used
interchangeably.

Existing Problems and Proposed Solutions

[0025] M-commerce will continue to grow and reach more consumers and
merchants because of its many advantages. However, cash will exist in any
civilized economy because cash serves far too many human needs, which are
uniquely addressed by cash's simplistic design. In short, m-commerce and
cash will need to co-exist for many decades to come. An opportunity
exists to enable efficient cash transactions within an m-commerce system.

[0026] Before discussing m-commerce and its advantages, cash's
characteristics shall be discussed. Cash is simple and ancient.
Historians estimate that cash dates back to 3,000 B.C. Use of cash
requires no contractual relationship with a third-party financial
institution (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Wells Fargo Bank, etc.). Cash may be
untraceable and may provide consumers with a desired sense of anonymity.
However, the simplicity of cash yields some disadvantages.

[0027] Cash may encourage crime. Cash is generally untraceable when used
in normal commerce, especially in developing nations. As such, cash is
often employed by criminals and the black market because it does not
create a paper trail. Law enforcement agencies would more easily track
criminal and terrorist activity if more and more transactions were
conducting using electronic commerce means.

[0028] Cash transactions may result in tax evasion. The United States has
a self-reporting income system which requires individuals and businesses
to report income. Thus, cash transactions which result in income are
reportable tax events. In the normal course of business, a merchant will
maintain accounting records to report income to the proper tax authority
(e.g., the United States Internal Revenue Service). However, cash
transactions are highly untraceable, especially for low-cost goods or
services. Therefore, many merchants simply keep the cash and do not
report the income to the government, which results in loss of tax revenue
for the government.

[0029] Cash is difficult to count and may result in consumers receiving
the incorrect amount of change resulting from a cash transaction.
Computers are well-designed to count and calculate numeric values. Humans
are not as reliable. Even with the assistance of an electronic cash
register, the human operator will invariably miscount the change due to
the consumer. Miscounting change may lead to loss of revenue for the
merchant and consumer dissatisfaction.

[0030] Cash is vulnerable to theft. Since cash is generally untraceable,
cash may be stolen. Any cash kept on the premises of a merchant is
subject to theft by street criminals or employees of the merchant who
embezzle.

[0031] Cash is expensive to maintain. Governments must incur the expense
of minting cash, which is passed onto the taxpayer. Since cash is
physical in nature, cash must be constructed from physical materials. In
short, cash costs money. In 2008, the cost to manufacture a penny (a U.S.
coin valued at $0.01 USD) was approximately $0.0126 USD, which is more
than the face value of the coin. Further, governments must address the
collection and reissuance of existing cash (e.g., shredding paper
currency, melting coins, printing paper currency, minting coins, etc.).
Since cash costs money, dollarization occurs in developing nations that
use U.S. currency as their primary currency.

[0032] Cash creates overhead for merchants which is passed onto the
consumers. Paper and coin currency are physical objects which must be
secured, transported, stored, counted, etc., all of which have a
real-world cost. Merchants pass the costs of handling cash on to their
customers. Some experts estimate that a family may incur $250 USD per
year in indirect costs related to the handling of cash. In fact, some
merchants offer cashback when users pay with debit card to help the
merchant offload its cash on the customers to avoid incurring cash
handling costs.

[0033] M-commerce addresses many of the disadvantages of cash because
m-commerce is traceable, secure, safe, and efficient. M-commerce
transactions are traceable because they may pass through a central server
which reconciles transactions. As such, all transactions through an
m-commerce system are traceable by governments, businesses, and
individual consumers with proper credentials. As such, criminal
activities may be traced if they are conducted via an m-commerce system.
Likewise, tax evasion may be reduced if conducted through an m-commerce
system.

[0034] M-commerce transactions may be more secure than cash transactions.
Unlike cash, a balance held in an m-commerce system may not be physically
stolen.

[0035] M-commerce may be safer for society rather than cash transactions.
Theft of cash may result in violent crimes conducted against the victim.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that m-commerce systems may be
vulnerable to hacking, phishing, and fraud, but such crimes are much less
violent than larceny, burglary, robbery, etc.

[0036] M-commerce may be more efficient than using cash. As stated,
governments incur costs related to maintaining cash. If more and more
consumers switch to m-commerce, the government will need to mint less
cash saving the taxpayers money. Likewise, merchants incur costs related
to handling cash. These costs may be reduced as m-commerce is more widely
adopted and the fees associated with using electronic payments continue
to decline. Further, merchants may reap financial savings by not having
to train cashiers to count, sort, and protect cash.

[0037] One of skill in the art will appreciate that m-commerce has many
advantages which may address some shortcomings of cash. However,
widespread m-commerce adoption will not happen immediately. Further, even
if m-commerce dominates most financial transactions, cash will always
have a place in any civilized economy. An opportunity exists to enable
m-commerce while still allowing cash transactions.

[0038] As an illustrative example, assume Dave is a consumer who enjoys
coffee. Dave has a wallet which contains approximately $600 USD in
various denominations, having won some cash in Las Vegas. Further, Dave's
wallet has a credit card, a Coffee Co. gift card, a driver's license, and
a picture of his girlfriend Cynthia. Dave also keeps a wireless device in
his front jean pocket, which he uses to surf the web and send text
messages to his girlfriend. Dave's personal belongings and affinity for
coffee are quite common in the United States. Note that Dave is not
carrying coin currency because Dave, like many people, does not like
carrying coin change, especially as society becomes more cashless.

[0039] Dave would like to buy a medium mocha from Coffee Co., but he would
like to avoid receiving coin change. Given the contents of Dave wallet,
he has some options, all of which shall be discussed.

[0040] First, Dave could pay with his credit card. Paying with credit card
may not always be desirable. For example, Dave may already have a large
balance on his credit card from his last trip to Las Vegas, Nev. As such,
he may want to avoid "over limit" fees resulting from charging a balance
in excess of the contractually established limit. Further, Dave has been
unable to pay down his credit card balance and knows that he will be
paying a relatively high-interest rate to finance his caffeine addiction.
Even though paying with the credit card will meet Dave's requirement of
having no coin currency change result from the transaction, Dave cannot
bear the other associated costs of using the credit card. Therefore, Dave
must consider his other options.

[0041] Second, Dave could pay for the mocha using the cash in his wallet.
However, Dave is carrying no coin currency and will not be able to make
exact change. Therefore, Dave will receive coin currency change from the
transaction. Thus, Dave must consider his other options.

[0042] Third, Dave could pay using his Coffee Co. gift card, but the
balance is only $2.43 USD while the mocha costs $4.59 USD. Therefore,
even if Dave uses the Coffee Co. gift card, he will still need to pay the
additional balance of $2.16 USD using either cash or his credit card. The
former will result in coin cash change, and the latter has the
disadvantages described above. Therefore, Dave must consider his other
options.

[0043] Fourth, Dave could pay using cash and leave the coin cash change in
a tip jar. While this option may normally meet Dave's requirement of not
receiving coin currency, it assumes that Dave would like to tip the
cashier. Further, it assumes that there is a tip jar which may not always
be the case. In this example, Dave has received poor service and would
rather not tip. Thus, Dave must consider his other options.

[0044] In sum, given what is in his wallet, Dave will likely receive coin
currency from the transaction. Dave gives up and chooses the last option
and opts to pay using his cash because as previously stated, cash is
simple and ancient. Dave begrudgingly leaves the change in the tip jar
even though he received poor service and continues on with his day. Dave
received his coffee but did so in a manner than caused him internal
turmoil. Dave would have been more satisfied if he: (1) did not receive
coin change, (2) could have used his Coffee Co. gift card balance, and
(3) had more control in general over the manner in which he pays for
goods and services.

[0045] Likewise, the merchant failed to perceive a potential market
opportunity by addressing Dave's payment requirements. The merchant had
an opportunity to utilize m-commerce and cashless systems to create and
track customer loyalty. Further, the merchant accepted more cash than was
necessary to complete the transaction. As stated, handling cash is
expensive for merchants and may lead to criminal activities. The merchant
will need to closely monitor the tip jar to comply with tax reporting
requirements. Further, the merchant must be vigilant against embezzlement
by employees.

[0046] What is needed is a hybrid m-commerce system for handling cash
payments and stored value card account balances. In one embodiment, the
hybrid m-commerce system is operable to manage a plurality of stored
value card account balances, any of which may be accessible by a
consumer. The hybrid m-commerce system may allow the consumer to exchange
stored value card balances between two stored value accounts. Further,
the balances of any stored value card account may be transferred to an
unbranded stored value card account. The hybrid m-commerce system may
allow conversion from the unbranded account to a stored value card
account accessible on a wireless device. In one embodiment, if cash is
used in a financial transaction, the hybrid m-commerce system may allow
partial payment from a stored value card account to eliminate (or reduce)
an amount of cash change due from the cash transaction. In another
embodiment, if cash is used, a merchant may transfer the change amount
due to a stored value card account using the hybrid m-commerce system and
existing points-of-sale. In yet another embodiment, if the stored value
card account balance goes below a threshold, the stored value card
account balance may be automatically transferred to the unbranded account
such that the funds may be transferred to another stored value card
account and subsequently used with a merchant.

Components of the Proposed Solutions

[0047] The various components of the proposed solutions will be described
in further detail. Turning to FIG. 1, a hybrid m-commerce system 100 is
depicted. A wireless device 105 may be connected to a network 130. In one
embodiment, the wireless device 105 may be connected to the network 130
using any one of code division multiplexed access ("CDMA"), time division
multiplexed access ("TDMA"), frequency division multiplexed access
("FDMA"), orthogonal frequency division multiplexed access ("OFDMA"),
global system for mobile communications ("GSM"), Analog Advanced Mobile
Phone System ("AMPS"), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
("UMTS"), 802.11a/b/n ("WiFi"), World Interoperability for Microwave
Access ("WiMAX"), Long Term Evolution ("LTE"), Bluetooth, near-field
communication ("NFC") or other wireless communication technology. In yet
another embodiment, the wireless device 105 may be connected to a docking
station (not shown), which may be connected to the network 130.

[0048] Many commercial versions of the wireless device 105 may be found in
the marketplace today. For example, the wireless device 105 may be a
Google® Nexus One® device, an Apple® iPhone® device, an
HTC® Incredible® device, a LG®, Dare® device, a
Blackberry® Storm® device, a Motorola® Droid X® device, a
Samsung® Omnia® II device, etc. One of skill in the art will
appreciate that the foregoing enumeration of wireless devices is
illustrative and not exhaustive.

[0049] The network 130 may be the Internet in one embodiment. The Internet
is a world-wide, redundant network of computers utilizing the Internet
Protocol ("IP"). In another embodiment, the network 130 may be a local
area network ("LAN") with wireless capabilities (e.g., a local WiFi
hotspot). In yet another embodiment, the network 130 may be a
subscription-based network operated by a wireless carrier (e.g., Verizon,
Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.).

[0050] A server 110 may be connected to the network 130. The server 110
may manage the hybrid m-commerce system 100. In one embodiment, the
server 110 may be a stand-alone network server capable of serving many
user clients and connections. As more computing moves into the "cloud,"
the server 110 may be embodied as rented time-slices of memory,
processing, and storage space, all of which are allocated among several
computers. The Amazon® Elastic Compute Cloud is an example of
cloud-based computing.

[0051] A computer 115 may be connected to the network 130. In one
embodiment, the computer 115 may be a personal computer or a laptop
computer. The definition of a personal computer is currently in a state
of flux as more devices challenge consumers' definitions and conceptions
of computing. For example, the Nexus One® device developed by Google
is a wireless device, which is very similar in processing capability to a
standard personal computer. Further, more and more consumers are relying
on their wireless devices to perform functionality traditionally
performed on a personal computer. Thus, the computer 115 is shown as
being a separate entity from the wireless device 105, but in some
embodiments, the wireless device 105 and the computer 115 may be used
interchangeably. Popular manufacturers of computer hardware and software
include Dell, Microsoft, HP, Apple, Intel, Nvidia, Acer, Lenovo, etc.

[0052] A point-of-sale terminal 120 may be connected to the network 130.
In one embodiment, the point-of-sale terminal 120 may be a collection of
hardware and software that allows a merchant to register (or "ring up") a
sale of goods and/or services. One of skill in the art may refer to the
point-of-sale terminal 120 as an electronic cash register, which may be a
misnomer because many points-of-sale are cashless and process
transactions electronically. The point-of-sale terminal 120 may be
operated by a store clerk or cashier. In one embodiment, the
point-of-sale terminal 120 is operated by the consumer, which is commonly
referred to as "self checkout." The point-of-sale terminal 120 may be
equipped with a display (not shown) to provide feedback to the store
clerk and/or the consumer. Common manufactures of point-of-sale hardware
and software include Microsoft, NCR, Epson, Fujitsu-ICL, Radiant/Aloha,
Micros, Citadel, IBM, etc.

[0055] The point-of-sale terminal 120 may be connected to a near-field
communication ("NFC") terminal 124. NFC is a short-range communication
technology which allows two devices to exchange data within a range of
approximately 10 centimeters (approximately 3.94 inches). Currently, NFC
is not supported by many commercial wireless devices. However, more and
more wireless devices will be including support for NFC. Likewise, more
point-of-sale terminals 120 will have support for NFC and NFC-based
transactions. Thus, it is envisioned that point-of-sale terminals 120 and
wireless devices 105 may be able to communicate with one another to
securely conduct electronic commerce wirelessly using NFC. In one
embodiment, the NFC terminal 124 may simply be a contactless terminal
commonly used throughout the United States for payment and
identification.

[0056] Turning to FIG. 2A, a wireless device 205 is depicted. As shown,
the wireless device 205 includes an on-chip system 222 that includes a
digital baseband processor 224 and an analog baseband processor 226 that
may be coupled together.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, a display controller 228 and a
touchscreen controller 230 may be coupled to the digital baseband
processor 224. In turn, a touchscreen display 232 external to the on-chip
system 222 may be coupled to the display controller 228 and the
touchscreen controller 230.

[0058]FIG. 2A further depicts a video encoder 234, e.g., a phase
alternating line ("PAL") encoder, a sequential couleur a memoire
("SECAM") encoder, or a national television system(s) committee ("NTSC")
encoder, may be coupled to the digital baseband processor 224. Further, a
video amplifier 236 may be coupled to the video encoder 234 and the
touchscreen display 232. Also, a video port 238 may be coupled to the
video amplifier 236. As depicted in FIG. 2A, a universal serial bus
("USB") controller 240 may be coupled to the digital baseband processor
224. Also, a USB port 242 may be coupled to the USB controller 240. A
memory 244 and a subscriber identity module ("SIM") card 246 may also be
coupled to the digital baseband processor 224. Further, as shown in FIG.
2A, a digital camera 248 may be coupled to the digital baseband processor
224. In one embodiment, the digital camera 248 may be a charge-coupled
device ("CCD") camera or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
("CMOS") camera.

[0059] As further depicted in FIG. 2A, a stereo audio CODEC 250 may be
coupled to the analog baseband processor 226. Moreover, an audio
amplifier 252 may coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 250. In one
embodiment, a first stereo speaker 254 and a second stereo speaker 256
may be coupled to the audio amplifier 252. FIG. 2A depicts how a
microphone amplifier 258 may be also coupled to the stereo audio CODEC
250. Additionally, a microphone 260 may be coupled to the microphone
amplifier 258. In one embodiment, a frequency modulation ("FM") radio
tuner 262 may be coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 250. Also, an FM
antenna 264 may be coupled to the FM radio tuner 262. Further, stereo
headphones 266 may be coupled to the stereo audio CODEC 250.

[0060]FIG. 2A further depicts how a radio frequency ("RF") transceiver
268 may be coupled to the analog baseband processor 226. An RF switch 270
may be coupled to the RF transceiver 268 and an RF antenna 272. As
depicted in FIG. 2A, a keypad 274 may be coupled to the analog baseband
processor 226. Also, a mono headset with a microphone 276 may be coupled
to the analog baseband processor 226. Further, a vibrator device 278 may
be coupled to the analog baseband processor 226. FIG. 2A also depicts
that a power supply 280 may be coupled to the on-chip system 222. In one
embodiment, the power supply 280 may be a direct current ("DC") power
supply that provides power to the various components of the wireless
device 205. Further, in one embodiment, the power supply may be a
rechargeable DC battery or a DC power supply that is derived from an
alternating current ("AC") to DC transformer that is connected to an AC
power source.

[0061] In one embodiment, the wireless device 205 may include a global
positioning system ("GPS") module 284 coupled to the digital baseband
processor 224 or the analog baseband processor 226. The GPS module 284
and at least one of the processors 224, 226 may be utilized to locate the
wireless device 205.

[0062] As depicted in FIG. 2A, the touchscreen display 232, the video port
238, the USB port 242, the camera 248, the first stereo speaker 254, the
second stereo speaker 256, the microphone 260, the FM antenna 264, the
stereo headphones 266, the RF switch 270, the RF antenna 272, the keypad
274, the mono headset 276, the vibrator 278, and the power supply 280 may
be external to the on-chip system 222.

[0063] Turning to FIG. 2B, a computer 290 is depicted. The computer 290
may have a processor 291, a memory 293, and a connection 295. The
processor 291 may be configured by software instructions to perform a
variety of methods, including the methods of the various embodiments
described herein. For example, the processor 291 may comprise a general
purpose processor (e.g., x86, ARM, etc.), a digital signal processor
("DSP"), an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field
programmable gate array ("FPGA"), etc.

[0065] The connection 295 may generally allow connectivity to other
computers, wireless devices, laptops, servers, etc. The connection 295
may comprise a network interface card ("NIC"), a modem, a universal
serial bus port ("USB"), a Firewire port, a 3G/4G wireless modem, a
near-field communication connection ("NFC"), etc. The connection 295 may
be any other wired connection, any other wireless connection, any other
magnetic connection, any other visual connection, any other audible
connection, etc.

[0066] Turning to FIG. 3A, depicts a client module 305. In general, the
client module 305 is operable to provide functionality to the user of the
hybrid m-commerce system 100. In one embodiment, the client module 305
may be installed in the user's wireless device 105 as a downloadable
application. Thus, the client module 305 may be written using common
programming languages (e.g., C/C++, Objective C, Adobe® Actionscript,
etc.). Further, the client module 305 may operate on common application
platforms (e.g., Apple® iOS, Android, BREW MP, Blackberry OS, Windows
Mobile, etc.).

[0067] The client module 305 may be downloaded and installed to the
wireless device 105. One of skill in the art will appreciate that a
number of methods exist for transmitting and installing applications on
wireless devices. In one embodiment, the client module 305 may be sent to
the wireless device 105 via a WAP push request from the server 110. In
another embodiment, wireless device users may be able to acquire
applications via application stores (commonly referred to as "app
stores"). Providers of application stores are Apple, Microsoft,
Electronic Arts ("EA"), Valve, Stardock, Handango, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T,
Alltel, Nokia, Samsung, LG, etc. The applications may be free or
purchased for money. The application store may wirelessly transmit the
application to the wireless device 105 for installation.

[0068] Alternatively, the application may be transmitted via a cable (not
shown) connected to the computer 115 (e.g., a personal computer, a
laptop, a kiosk, etc.). In yet another embodiment, applications may be
transmitted "virally" from one wireless device to another wireless device
(sometimes referred to as "superdistribution"). One of skill in the art
may include any number of digital rights management ("DRM") schemes to
protect the client module 305 from unauthorized copying or use.

[0069] Turning to the specifics of the client module 305, a preferences
module 310 may allow preferences to be defined. The preferences may be
set by the user, the merchant, the wireless carrier, the financial
institution, etc. In one embodiment, the preferences module 310 may be
connected to the server 110 which stores preferences across devices and
platforms. In another embodiment, the preferences module 310 may contain
preferences relating to the form of cash change to be received from a
cash-based transaction. In yet another embodiment, the preferences module
310 is operable to store a threshold value for one or more stored value
accounts.

[0070] A stored value card module 315 is generally operable to manage the
stored value card accounts associated with the client module 305. In one
embodiment, the stored value card module 315 communicates with the server
110 such that the quantity of personal financial information within the
client module 305 is minimized. Further, communication with the server
110 may reduce fraud or hacking because information is validated
remotely. The stored value card module 315 may in one example contain a
merchant. For example, the stored value card module 315 may have a
Target® account, a Vons® account, a Starbucks® account, etc.,
any of which may have a balance and other data. If the stored value card
account is not associated with a merchant, the stored value account is
considered "unbranded" as described herein.

[0071] The stored value card module 315 may communicate with a merchant
module 320. In one embodiment, the stored value card account may be
associated with a particular merchant. As such, additional data may be
retrieved from the merchant module 320.

[0072] The merchant module 320 may be generally operable to manage data
related to merchants. In one embodiment, the merchant module 320 is
operable to assist the client module 305 to locate a merchant based on a
preference stored in the preference module 310. For example, if the
client module 305 is instructed to locate a nearby coffee shop, the
merchant module 320 may utilize global positioning system ("GPS")
information and a database (e.g., the yellow pages, Yelp, Google®
Maps, etc.) to locate a nearby coffee shop. The merchant module 320 may
store additional information related to the merchant such as: name,
address, customer reviews, photographs, video clips, prices, menus, etc.

[0073] In one embodiment, the preferences module 310 may interact with the
merchant module 320 such that the user can "bookmark" a merchant as being
a favorite. At a later time, the user can easily recall favorite
merchants using the bookmark.

[0074] A redemption module 322 may be responsible for communicating
information related to the transfer of funds to or from the stored valued
card accounts. The redemption module 322 may be generally operable to
communicate with a merchant to redeem a stored value card account
balance. In one embodiment, the redemption module 322 may communicate
with a merchant's point-of-sale 120 via NFC to transfer an amount of
money from a stored value card account to the merchant's account. In
another embodiment, the redemption module 322 may be operable to
communicate a balance using a barcode shown on the display of the
wireless device 105. The barcode may then be scanned and redeemed at the
merchant. Thus, the redemption module 322 may frequently be in
communication with the stored value card module 315 in order to update
the stored value account balances.

[0075] In one embodiment, the redemption module 322 may be operable to
redeem a "change identifier." The change identifier may be associated
with an amount having a cash value such that the amount may be added to
one or more stored value card accounts. For example, the change
identifier may be expressed as a code, a barcode, a non-human readable
code, etc. In one embodiment, the redemption module 322 may communicate
with the NFC terminal 124 to securely transfer an amount of money from
the merchant to a stored value card account. In another embodiment, the
redemption module 322 may decipher a change identifier code to transfer
an amount of money from the merchant to the stored value card account.

[0076] A cash module 327 may be generally operable to determine amounts of
cash change due and adjusting amounts of cash change resulting from a
cash transaction. The cash module 327 may contain logic to determine the
fewest number of banknotes required to reconcile an amount of cash
change. For instance, the user may enter in the preferences module 310
that larger bills are preferable to smaller bills. The cash module 327
may utilize this preference as a heuristic to determine the form of cash
change payment. For example, if the cash change due is $10.00 USD, the
cash module 327 may utilize the preference for larger bills and
communicate to the point-of-sale 120 that cash change should be paid as
one ten dollar bill. Alternatively, the preferences module 310 may
contain a preference for smaller (and greater in quantity) banknotes to
be paid as cash change. Thus, in the immediate example above, the cash
change would be payable as a ten one dollar bills. One of skill in the
art will appreciate that many similar preferences may be set relating to
the form of cash change to be paid without deviating from the spirit and
scope of this disclosure.

[0077] The cash module 327 may also make determinations about the amount
of money needed to reduce or eliminate the cash change due from a
cash-based transaction. The cash module 327 may communicate with the
stored value card module 315 to deduct an amount from a stored value card
account and apply the amount to the transaction to adjust the cash change
due. For example, if the cash change due is $7.17 USD, the cash module
327 may deduct $0.83 USD from a stored value card account and apply it to
the transaction such that $8.00 USD cash change is due, which would be
payable without resorting to coins.

[0078] The cash module 327 may also contain logic to determine the optimal
number of banknotes and coin change to increase user satisfaction from a
transaction. Users are generally more in favor of accepting banknotes as
cash change because banknotes are easily storable while coin change can
be cumbersome. Thus, the cash module 327 may make determinations relating
to reducing the number of coin cash change paid. Further, if coin cash
change is paid, the cash module 327 may make determinations to reduce the
number or adjust the type of coins paid as change in the transaction. For
instance, the cash module 327 may retrieve and utilize a preference for
larger denomination coins versus smaller denomination coins.

[0079] A user interface module 329 may be generally operable to present a
user interface via the client module 305. Thus, the user interface module
329 may be operable to both display objects and accept user input related
to objects. The user interface module 329 may utilize visual means, audio
means, haptic means, olfactible means, gustatic means or any other means
of interfacing with the user. In one embodiment, the user interface
module 329 may utilize 3-D graphics to provide an enhanced user
experience. For example, OpenGL or DirectX may be utilized to display
advanced graphics.

[0080] A secure element module 325 may be generally operable to securely
storing information. A secure element is a tamperproof piece of hardware
operable to storing sensitive data (e.g., birth date, social security
number, bank account number, etc.). The secure element module 325 may be
in communication with the secure element. The client module 305 may
securely communicate and securely store sensitive information via the
secure element module 325. For example, the client module 305 may
securely store the stored value card account information in the secure
element module 325. Thus, the stored value card module 315 may be in
direct communication with the secure element module 325. In one
embodiment, the preferences module 310 may communicate with the secure
element module 325 to securely store preferences. In another embodiment,
the redemption module 322 may be in communication with the secure element
module 325 to securely store algorithms, keys, or other
cryptosystem-related information.

[0081] Turning to FIG. 3B, a server module 330 is depicted. In one
embodiment, the server module 330 may be within the server 110, the
point-of-sale 120, the computer 115, etc. In another embodiment, the
server module 330 may be contained within the wireless device 105, since
wireless device processing capabilities and functionalities are
constantly increasing. For instance, a small merchant may utilize a
smartphone or wireless device similarly to the server 110.

[0082] Turning to the specifics of the server module 330, a merchant
module 332 may be generally operable to managing the merchants
participating in the hybrid m-commerce system 100. In one embodiment, the
merchant module 332 may present a web-based interface for merchants to
manage accounts, promotions, customers, advertising, etc.

[0083] A user module 336 may be generally operable to manage users within
the hybrid m-commerce system 100. In one embodiment, the user module 336
may present a web-based interface to allow users to enroll in the hybrid
m-commerce system 100. In another embodiment, the user module 336 may
connect to a third-party system which hosts user information (e.g.,
Facebook, Google® Buzz, MySpace, etc.). In one embodiment, the user
module 336 may be controlled by a third-party; therefore, the user module
336 may simply be an association to another database, social network,
active directory, etc.

[0084] A settlement module 340 may be generally operable to conduct money
settlements. The settlement module 340 may need to batch transactions
such that the settlement transactions occur at one time instead of
multiple times throughout the day. In the industry, a "discount rate" is
paid by a merchant to a merchant acquirer when electronic payments are
processed by a payment card company and/or a financial institution. The
discount rate accounts for approximately two percent of the
electronic-based transaction costs in the United States.

[0085] However, the discount rate is subject to unusually complicated
pricing schemas, many of which are beyond the scope of this document. For
instance, the discount rate may be $0.25 USD per transaction (a flat fee)
and 1.8% of the total transaction price. Thus, a transaction of $100.00
USD would result in a discount rate-based charge of $2.05 ($100.00
USD*1.8%=$1.80 USD+$0.25 USD=$2.05 USD). Stated differently, the merchant
would only receive $97.95 from the transaction. Comparatively, a
transaction of $0.10 USD would cost $0.2518 USD to process ($0.10
USD*1.8%=$0.0018 USD+$0.25 USD=$0.2518 USD). Thus, a merchant would pay
$0.2518 USD to receive $0.10 USD, which would actually cost the merchant
more money.

[0086] Therefore, the settlement module 340 may be configured to perform
"aggregated micro-payment settlement." First, the settlement module 340
may open a modifiable transaction that allows future changes. Most large
merchants use terminal capture settlement or hybrid capture settlement.
Terminal capture settlement is a form of settlement where the
transactions are stored on the point-of-sale terminal 120. At a
predetermined time, the stored transactions are sent in batch for
settlement with the bank. Hybrid capture settlement is similar to
terminal capture settlement except hybrid capture maintains only a subset
of the transaction information and is potentially more efficient in
certain scenarios. Using either terminal capture settlement or hybrid
capture settlement, the transactions that are posted throughout the day
are posted to the same modifiable transaction opened earlier in time. At
a later time, the modifiable transaction is closed (e.g., at close of
business) and then sent to the bank for settlement. Thus, only one
transaction is processed for settlement and the flat fee of $0.25 USD is
charged once instead of multiple times throughout the day. One of skill
in the art will appreciate that the card companies (e.g., Visa) in the
marketplace may limit which parties utilize hybrid capture settlement or
terminal capture settlement.

[0087] Aggregated micro-payment settlement may advantageously allow for
small amounts of money to be transferred using electronic means. As
described herein, the change identifier may be for a particularly small
amount of money (e.g., $0.22 USD). Thus, the aggregated micro-payment
settlement allows for these small amounts of money to be collected and
processed under the same interchange fee charge such that the per
transaction portion of the interchange fee (the flat fee) does not
disproportionately affect the money associated with the change
identifier. In one embodiment, the settlement module 340 may be in
constant communication with the client module 305 and the point of sale
120 to gather these small amounts of money for settlement in batch.

[0088] A user interface module 344 may be generally operable to enable
user interaction with the server module 330. Thus, the user interface
module 344 may be operable to both display objects and accept user input
related to objects. The user interface module 344 may utilize visual
means, audio means, haptic means, olfactible means, gustatic means or any
other means of interfacing with the user. In one embodiment, the user
interface module 344 may utilize 3-D graphics to provide an enhanced user
experience. For example, OpenGL or DirectX may be utilized to display
advanced graphics.

[0089] A stored value card module 334 may be generally operable to manage
one or more stored value card accounts. In one embodiment, the stored
value card module 334 within the server module 330 is in communication
with the stored value card module 315 contained within the client module
305. In one embodiment, the stored value card module 334 may allow
transfer of money from a first stored value card account to a second
stored value card account. In another embodiment, the stored value card
module 334 may allow transfer of money from a first stored value card
account to an unbranded stored value card account.

[0090] In one embodiment, the stored value card module 334 may be operable
to adjust the balance of one or more of the stored value card accounts
based on a cash transaction. The stored value card module 334 may deduct
an amount from one or more stored value card accounts and apply the
amount to the transaction such that the resulting change is reduced or
eliminated.

[0091] In another embodiment, the stored value card module 334 may be
operable to accept a change identifier which may relate to a real-world
amount of cash paid to a merchant. The stored value card module 334 may
authenticate, accept, and process the change identifier such that the
balance of one or more of the stored value card accounts is adjusted.

[0092] In yet another embodiment, the stored value card module 334 may be
operable to associate a threshold with one or more of the stored value
card accounts. If the balance of the stored valued card account goes
below the threshold, then a portion or all of the stored value card
balance may be transferred to the unbranded stored value card account. In
still anther embodiment, if the balance of the unbranded account exceeds
a threshold then the balance may be transferred to a stored value card
account associated with a merchant.

[0093] A redemption module 338 may be generally operable to allow
redemption of money represented as a change identifier. As previously
stated, the change identifier may relate to a real-world amount of cash
paid to a merchant. The redemption module 338 may contain one or more
encryption/decryption systems. For instance, the change identifier may be
a series of alphanumeric characters received by the server module 330.
The redemption module 338 may contain the logic to decrypt the series of
alphanumeric characters and ascertain the amount of money being redeemed.
In one embodiment, the redemption module 338 may be operable to decipher
a barcode image transmitted to the server module 330.

[0094] The redemption module 338 may contain logic for parsing emails, SMS
messages, MMS messages, tweets, microblog, etc. to extract the change
identifier. For example, a preformatted email may be received by the
redemption module 338 and processed such that one or more of the stored
value card account balances are adjusted. In one embodiment, the
redemption module 338 contains pattern matching and/or pattern
recognition software to readily detect and acquire the change identifier.

Operation of the Proposed Solutions

[0095] The components described in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3B above shall now
be further described in relation to each other. Reference shall be made
to the components described above. Turning to FIG. 4, a hybrid m-commerce
commerce system 400 is depicted with a number of entities and transitions
to illustrate the hybrid m-commerce system 400 in operation. One of skill
in the art will understand that the hybrid m-commerce system 400 may be
embodied as logic in hardware, software, or combination thereof. In one
embodiment, the hybrid m-commerce system 400 is the same or substantially
similar to the hybrid m-commerce system 100 from FIG. 1 above.

[0096] Turning to the specifics of the hybrid m-commerce system 400, a
physical card 405 may be imported 407 into a branded stored value card
account 410. The physical card 405 may be constructed from plastic,
metallic, paper, or combination thereof. The physical card 405 may have
one or more codes imprinted on it. In one embodiment, the physical card
405 may have a "scratch off" layer which exposes additional codes when
physically scratched off by a human using a nail, a coin, or other edged
object. Examples of a real-world physical card may be a Target® gift
card, a Gap® gift card, an Amazon.com® gift card, etc.

[0097] The importation 407 of the physical card 405 may occur in a number
of manners. In one embodiment, the physical card 405 may be imported
using a camera on the wireless device. Computer vision software may then
be utilized to analyze and determine which physical cards are present in
the photograph captured by the camera. In another embodiment, the account
numbers present on the physical card could be manually entered into the
wireless device to import 407 the balance associated with the physical
card into the branded stored value card account 410. In yet another
embodiment, the account numbers of the physical card 405 may be entered
into a web-based interface such that the balance is imported 407 into the
branded stored value card account 410.

[0098] In one embodiment, the importation 407 may cancel the physical card
405 balance such that the physical card 405 may no longer be redeemed at
the associated merchant. In another embodiment, the importation 407 may
result in a new virtual card number being created for a newly created
virtual card. In yet another embodiment, the importation 407 may result
in a virtual card which shares the same card number as the physical card.
For subsequent redemption, the branded stored value card account 410 may
be utilized to access the balance of the physical card 405.

[0099] The branded stored value card account 410 may be associated with a
merchant i.e. "branded." Alternatively, an unbranded stored value card
account 425 may be associated with the wireless device. In one
embodiment, the balance of the branded stored value card account 410 may
be transferred 413 to the unbranded stored value card account 425. In
another embodiment, the unbranded stored value card account balance may
be transferred 427 to the branded stored value card account 410.

[0100] As an illustrative example, Dave is an American male in his early
30s. Dave receives a Home Store gift card in the amount of $100.00 USD
for his birthday. However, Dave lives in an apartment downtown, and Dave
lives alone. He would like to access the Home Store gift card balance,
but has no desire to purchase home improvement goods from the Home Store.
Using the hybrid m-commerce system 400, Dave could import 407 his Home
Store gift card using his wireless device's 105 camera. The imported
physical card 405 would then be cancelled and retained in the hybrid
m-commerce system 400 as a branded stored value card account balance.
Thus, Dave's Home Store branded stored value card account balance would
be $100.00 USD. Then, Dave may transfer 413 his Home Store into the
unbranded stored value card account 425. Thus, Dave's unbranded stored
value card account balance 425 would be $100.00 USD and the Home Store
branded stored value card account balance would be $0.00 USD. Next, Dave
may transfer 427 a portion of the unbranded stored value card balance
into a Bedding Store branded stored value card account because Dave would
like to buy a new duvet cover for $38.56 USD (including tax).

[0101] The branded stored value card account 410 may be redeemed 411 at a
merchant 415. The merchant 415 may then notify 412 the branded stored
value card account 410 that the payment was accepted and to reduce the
branded stored value card account 410 balance. Similarly, the unbranded
stored value card account may be redeemed 429 with the merchant 415 at
which point the merchant may notify 426 the unbranded stored value card
account 425 to reduce the balance. One key difference between the branded
and unbranded stored value card accounts 410, 425 is that the unbranded
stored value card account 425 may or may not be accepted by all merchants
415. Hence, the redemption transition 429 and the notification transition
426 are shown in dotted lines. Thus, a user may need to transfer 427 an
amount into a branded stored value card account 410 which is associated
with the merchant 415 before accessing the amount of money transferred.

[0102] Turning back to our example with Dave, if Bedding Store were the
merchant 415, then Bedding Store could accept redemption 411 of the
branded stored value card account when Dave purchases his duvet cover.
Bedding Store, as the merchant 415, may then notify the branded stored
value card account 410 to reduce the balance in the amount of the duvet
cover $38.56 USD.

[0103] Cash 430 may be spent 432 on a transaction at a merchant 415 to pay
for goods or services. Cash may or may not generate a cash change amount
resulting from the transaction. Turning back to our example, assume Dave
paid $50.00 USD cash for the duvet cover instead of using his Bedding
Store branded stored value card account 410 balance. Dave would receive
$11.44 USD in change, likely in the form of a single ten dollar bill, a
single one dollar bill, one quarter, one dime, one nickel and four
pennies. Dave is annoyed by cash change because he likes to keep his
pockets free to hold his wireless device, wallet, and sports car keys.

[0104] In one embodiment, the unbranded stored value card account 425
balance may be used to reduce the amount of cash change resulting from a
transaction which employs cash 430. The unbranded stored value card
account 425 balance may be redeemed 429 in whole or in part to reduce the
amount the customer owes to the merchant 415. Similarly, the branded
stored value card account 410 may be redeemed 411 with the merchant 415
to reduce the amount the customer owes to the merchant 415. If the amount
is correctly calculated, then the cash change portion may be eliminated.

[0105] Turning back to our example with Dave, the duvet cover costs $38.56
USD. Dave has a branded stored value card account 410 balance with
Bedding Store in the amount of $100.00 USD. Dave instead pays cash using
a fifty dollar bill ($50.00 USD). If Dave were to pay using the fifty
dollar bill but redeem 411 a portion of the branded stored value card
account balance 410 to reduce the amount owed to a whole dollar amount,
then Dave would receive less change. Specifically, if $0.56 USD were
redeemed 411 with the merchant 415, then Dave would only owe $38.00 which
would result in a $12.00 USD cash change amount, payable as a single ten
dollar bill and two one dollar bills. Thus, the coin change portion would
be eliminated, resulting in payment of banknotes only.

[0106] A change identifier 420 may be generated 424 from a cash 430
transaction with the merchant 415. The change identifier 420 may
represent a real-world cash change amount resulting from a transaction,
as described herein. Turning back to our example with Dave, assume Dave
paid for the duvet cover using $50.00 USD cash. Dave would receive $11.44
USD cash change ($50.00 USD-$38.56 USD=$11.44 USD). However, if a change
identifier 420 were generated by the point-of-sale 120 of the merchant
415, then Dave would not receive coins and banknotes, but rather a change
identifier 420. The change identifier 420 may then be imported 422 into
the unbranded stored value card account 425. For example, Dave may
receive a code from the merchant 415 representing the $11.44 USD change
owed to him. Dave may then import 422 the change identifier 420 (as
represented by the code in this example) by using his wireless device.
Thus, the unbranded stored value card account 425 balance may be
increased by the change identifier 420 amount of $11.44 USD. As
previously discussed, Dave could then transfer 427 an amount of the
$11.44 USD in the unbranded stored value card account 425 to the branded
stored value card account 410.

[0107] In one embodiment, the hybrid m-commerce system 400 may be used in
conjunction with SWAGG® created by Outlier, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga.
SWAGG allows consumers to exchange gift card balances between
participating merchants. A small exchange fee may be imposed when
transferring balances between the unbranded account and a branded stored
value account. However, many consumers are willing to incur a small fee
to transfer the balance from a first merchant to a second, more-desirable
merchant. In the example above with Dave, the Bedding Store was more
suitable to his needs at the time than the Home Store was.

[0108] Turning to FIG. 5, a process 500 for adjusting a cash change amount
is depicted. At START block 505, the process 500 begins and moves to
block 510 where the user pays cash for goods or services.

[0109] Before describing the process 500 further, it is understood that in
one embodiment the client module 305 from FIG. 3A above is installed in
the wireless device 105 or the computer 115 from FIG. 1 above. Further,
the server module 330 from FIG. 3B above may be installed at the server
110 from FIG. 1. The client module 305 and the server module 330 may be
in communication via the network 130. In addition, the client module 305
or the server module 330 may interact with the point of sale 120, the NFC
terminal 124, or the barcode reader 122.

[0110] As an illustrative example, Marla may visit a local Clothing Co.
store and purchase a pair of blue jeans. Marla then takes the blue jeans
to the cash register. The blue jeans cost $43.92 USD including tax. Marla
pays using a fifty dollar bill ($50.00 USD).

[0111] The process 500 moves to decision block 515 where a determination
is made whether the transaction results in a cash change amount. In one
embodiment, the determination made in block 515 is contained within the
cash module 327 from FIG. 3A above. In another embodiment, the
determination at block 515 is made at the point-of-sale 120 operated by
the merchant. In another embodiment, the determination at block 515 may
be made at the user's wireless device 105. For example, the user may
manually enter into the wireless device 105 the item price, the tax, the
total, the amount of cash paid, the amount charged to a credit/debit
card, etc. If no cash change would result from the transaction then the
process 500 proceeds along the NO path to block 535 where the merchant
delivers the goods or services to the customer.

[0112] In one embodiment, the client module 305 may accept input from the
user via the user interface module 329. The merchant module 320 may be
utilized to access predetermined information related to the merchant
(e.g., local sales tax, prices of items, ability to receive electronic
receipts, etc.).

[0113] Going back to the block 515, if a determination is made that the a
cash change amount would result from the transaction, then the process
500 proceeds to the block 520 where the amount to reduce cash change is
determined. Turning back to the example with Marla, the blue jeans cost
$43.92 USD and she is paying $50.00 USD. Thus, an amount of $6.08 USD
would be due to Marla in the form of cash change. Therefore, the process
500 would proceed to the block 520 in this case. For the sake of
illustration, if Marla were to pay exactly $43.92 USD then the process
500 would proceed to block 535 at which point the merchant would simply
deliver the goods (i.e. the blue jeans) to Marla.

[0114] Turning to block 520, the process 500 determines the amount to
reduce the cash change amount. In one embodiment, the cash module 327 may
be utilized to make the determination at block 520. In another
embodiment, the point-of-sale 120 first determines the amount of cash
change due and then communicates that amount to the wireless device 105.
In the example with Marla, the point-of-sale 120 at Clothing Co. may
communicate to Marla's wireless device 105 that $6.08 USD will be due to
her after the transaction. Marla may then interact with the wireless
device 105 to acknowledge the amount of cash change to be received,
adjust the amount of desired cash change to be received, or
eliminate/reduce the amount of cash change to be received. In one
embodiment, the cash module 327 may determine that a single five dollar
bill, a single dollar bill, a nickel, and three pennies will be received
as cash change. The cash module 327 may first attempt to eliminate the
coin cash change i.e. the nickel and the three pennies first by
transferring to the point-of-sale $0.08 USD. Alternatively, the cash
module 327 may try to eliminate the coin cash change portion and some of
the banknote portion by transferring $1.08 USD to the point-of-sale
terminal 120. Thus, a single five dollar bill would be owed to Marla.

[0115] In yet another alternative, the cash module 327 may change the
nature of the cash change amount received by transferring more than the
cash change amount to be received. For instance, the cash module 327 may
transfer $13.92 USD to the point-of-sale 120. If Marla still pays with a
fifty dollar bill, then she would receive one twenty dollar bill ($43.92
USD-$13.92 USD-$50.00 USD=-$20.00 USD). Thus, the nature of the cash
change receive can be altered by the wireless device 105.

[0116] Once the amount to reduce the cash change amount is determined, the
process 500 proceeds to the block 525 where the amount is transferred to
the merchant. In one embodiment, the cash module 327 directly transfers
the amount to the point-of-sale terminal 120 at the merchant's location.
In another embodiment, the wireless device 105 communicates with the
server 110 to communicate the amount such that the merchant's backend
servers are able to reconcile the amount. In yet another embodiment, the
wireless device 105 may contain an NFC transceiver and be operable to
communicate with the point-of-sale 120 via the NFC terminal 124. In still
another embodiment, the wireless device 105 may present a barcode via the
user interface module 329 that is operable to being read by the barcode
reader 122 at the point-of-sale 120. The process 500 proceeds to the
block 530.

[0117] At the block 530, the merchant pays an adjusted cash change amount.
The block 530 is shown in a dotted line because, in one embodiment, the
merchant may pay the amount of cash change owed. For example, the user
may decline to adjust, reduce, or eliminate the cash change amount due
even though it would be possible given the transaction amount. Turning
back to our example with Marla, the cashier at Clothing Co. would receive
an indication from the point-of-sale terminal 120 or Marla's wireless
device 105 that the amount of cash change has been affected. Thus, the
cashier will pay the adjust cash change amount to Marla. The process 500
then proceeds to the block 535.

[0118] At block 535, the merchant delivers the goods or services. In one
embodiment, the merchant physically hands the goods to the customer along
with a paper receipt. In another embodiment, the merchant may send an
electronic notification or receipt to the wireless device 105 while
contemporaneously handing the customer the goods. The process 500
proceeds to the END block 540 and terminates.

[0119] Turning to FIG. 6 a process 600 for receiving a change identifier
is depicted. The process 600 begins at the START block 605 and proceeds
to the block 610 where the user pays cash for goods or services. The
paying of cash in the block 610 may be similar to the paying of cash in
the block 510 from FIG. 5 above. Turning back to our example with Marla
buying jeans from Clothing Co. in FIG. 5 above, assume that Marla is
again buying the same pair of blue jeans for $43.92 USD. Marla again pays
fifty dollars cash in the form of a single fifty dollar bill. The process
600 proceeds to the decision block 615.

[0120] At the decision block 615, the process 600 determines whether the
transaction results in a cash change amount. The decision block 615 may
be similar to the decision block 515 described above in FIG. 5. If the
determination does not result in a cash change amount, then the process
600 proceeds along the NO branch to the block 625 where the merchant
delivers the goods or services. Going back to the determination block
615, if the transaction will result in a cash change amount then the
process 600 proceeds along the YES branch to the block 620. Turning back
to the example with Marla and the blue jeans, the transaction will result
in a cash change amount being due because $50.00 USD minus $43.92 USD
results in $6.08 USD cash change. Thus, a cash change amount would be due
in Marla's scenario.

[0121] At the block 620, the process 600 generates and transmits a change
identifier. As previously stated, cash change is undesirable to many
customers. The change identifier may eliminate the need to use cash
change in many circumstances. For instance, the change identifier may
eliminate cash change in Marla's transactions for the blue jeans. The
change identifier may be a code, a barcode, a password, a key, an
alphanumeric string, etc. which is associated with amount of cash change
resulting from a transaction. The change identifier may then be redeemed
at a later time for a cash balance amount.

[0122] In one embodiment, the point-of-sale terminal 120 may generate a
change identifier. The point-of-sale 120 may print the change identifier
as a code on a paper receipt which is given to the customer at the
conclusion of the transaction. The point-of-sale 120 may alternatively
transmit the change identifier using NFC to the wireless device 105. In
another embodiment, the server 110 may generate the change identifier and
directly communicate the change identifier to the wireless device 105
through the network 130 or via the point-of-sale terminal 120.

[0123] In one embodiment, the change identifier is communicated in a
pre-formatted message sent via email, SMS, MMS, tweet, microblog, etc.
The client module 305 may be configured to decipher and redeem the change
identifier such that the money associated with the change identifier is
applied to a stored value card account. For instance, the money
associated with the change identifier may be applied automatically to the
unbranded account.

[0124] In another embodiment, the customer may have a user identification
("user ID") associated with the hybrid m-commerce system 100, 400. The
user ID may be verbally or electronically communicated to the merchant at
transaction time such that the change identifier is automatically
associated with the client module 305 belonging to the customer. Further,
the change identifier may be then substantially automatically associated
with a stored value card account associated with the merchant issuing the
change identifier. As such, the merchant may drive customer loyalty
because the customer has now received a stored value card balance which
may be redeemed at the merchant a later time. And, unlike cash, the
customer may need to return to the merchant to utilize the money. The
tradeoff being that the customer did not have to carry cash change with
his or her person.

[0125] Turning back to the example with Marla, after paying the fifty
dollar cash amount, Marla is entitled to $6.08 USD cash change. Using the
process 600, the Clothing Co. point-of-sale terminal 120 may then print
out a paper receipt upon which a change identifier is printed. In one
embodiment, a user-friendly message and/or instructions may appear
substantially near the change identifier. Marla may then receive no cash
change because the change identifier accounts for the cash change she is
owed. Marla will then need to redeem the change identifier to receive the
monetary amount of money still owed. The process 600 proceeds to the
block 625 where the merchant delivers the goods or services.

[0126] At the block 625, the merchant delivers the goods or services. The
delivery of goods or services is similar to the block 535 described above
in FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the merchant may deliver the change
identifier along with the goods being purchased. The process 600 proceeds
to the block 630 where the change identifier may be redeemed.

[0127] At the block 630, the change identifier may be redeemed. In one
embodiment, the redemption of the change identifier may be performed on
the wireless device 105. For instance, the customer may read the change
identifier from a paper receipt and manually input the change identifier
into the wireless device 105. In one embodiment, the redemption module
322 communicates with the server module's 330 redemption module 338 to
validate and process the change identifier. For instance, the server
module may utilize a number of cryptosystems to ascertain that the amount
of money associated with the change identifier is not fraudulent. The
redemption module 338 may then communicate with the stored value card
module 334 to indicate an increase in a stored value card account related
to the change identifier. In one embodiment, the amount of money redeemed
via a change identifier is automatically added to the unbranded stored
value card account.

[0128] In another embodiment, the change identifier money is applied to a
stored value card account associated with the merchant, which originally
issued the change identifier. As previously stated, having the change
identifier money automatically applied to the issuing merchant may drive
customer loyalty because they will build up a balance over time that may
drive repeat visits. For instance, the customer may be more inclined to
return to Coffee Co. knowing that they already have a balance of $7.98
USD as a result of a previous cash transaction which resulted in a change
identifier.

[0129] Turning back to the example with Marla, assume she received a
change identifier embodied as an alphanumeric code "G8SP223" on her
Clothing Co. receipt. If Marla enters the code "G8SP223" into her client
module 305, then the client module 305 may indicate that the redemption
module 322 is processing her request. Once processed and validated by the
client module 305 and the server module 330, an amount of money may
associated with one or more of Marla's stored value card accounts. In one
embodiment, the amount of money associated with the change identifier is
applied to her unbranded stored value card account. Marla can then
transfer the unbranded stored value card account balance to a branded
stored value card account. For instance, she could transfer the $6.08 USD
to an Organic Food Shop stored value card account, where she can purchase
food for dinner. In sum, Marla was able to take a fifty dollar bill,
purchase a pair of blue jeans, avoid receiving cash, and buy dinner at a
different store using only her wireless device 105.

[0130] One of skill in the art will appreciate that a significant time
delay may occur between the block 625 and the block 630. Stated
differently, the issuing of the change identifier may occur at a
significantly earlier time than the subsequent redemption of the change
identifier. Some users may simply pile the paper-based change identifiers
up in their change jars, glove compartments, wallets, etc. until they
decide to redeem them at once. Similar to gift cards, merchants may
monetize this delay in redemption. The process 600 then proceeds to the
END block 635 and terminates.

[0131] Turning to FIG. 7, a process 700 for transferring a balance to a
stored value card account is depicted. The process begins at the START
block 705 and moves to the block 710 where a threshold amount is
associated with a stored value card account. The threshold amount is a
user-defined or merchant-defined amount of money associated with a stored
value card account and the stored value card account's balance. If the
threshold amount is exceeded, then the balance of the stored value card
account may be adjusted or transferred. For example, the threshold amount
may be $1.00 USD, $10.00 USD, $100.00 USD or some other amount.

[0132] In one embodiment, the preference module 310 may store and manage
the threshold amount. For instance, the user interface module 329 may
present a series of menus, widgets, etc. to allow user interaction to
set, adjust, or remove the threshold amount. In one embodiment, the
threshold amount may be associated with a plurality of stored value card
accounts held within the stored value card module 315. In another
embodiment, a unique threshold amount may be associated with each of the
stored value card accounts managed by the stored value card module 315.
Turning back to the illustrative example of Marla buying blue jeans at
Clothing Co., Marla may use her wireless device 105 to manage a plurality
stored value card accounts from various merchants. Specifically, her
stored valued card accounts may be with Clothing Co., Home Store, Shoes,
Inc., and Coffee Co., each of which may have a balance. Further, Marla
has associated each stored value card account with a threshold amount. If
the threshold amount is exceeded, then the balance will be transferred to
the unbranded account. Table 1 below depicts the various merchants,
balances, and threshold amounts.

[0133] As shown above in Table 1, the balances are stored value card
balances that are redeemable for goods or services at the merchant. The
threshold amounts are shown as U.S. dollar amounts but are also shown as
"not defined." In some situations, the user may not wish to define a
threshold amount. For instance, Clothing Co. is a women's clothing
retailer and Marla likes to shop for business suits there. As such, she
desires to always maintain a balance in her Clothing Co. stored value
card account to remind her to shop there, even if the balance is a small,
fractional dollar amount.

[0134] Note that the threshold amounts may differ. In this example, the
threshold amounts relate somewhat to the goods/services offered by the
merchant. Organic Food Store is a large grocery store and as such the
threshold amount is $0.50 USD because Organic Food Store sells many
low-priced goods (e.g., juice, fruit, bread, etc.). Comparatively, the
threshold amount is higher for Electronic, Inc. a large electronics
store. Having a balance less than $25.00 may not be interesting to Marla
because she only buys items that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars
(e.g., stereo systems, LCD televisions, etc.). One of skill in the art
will appreciate that the threshold amounts may be any value and the value
need not coincide with the goods/services offered by the merchant.

[0135] The threshold amounts the unbranded account may have a balance. As
shown in Table 1, the unbranded account does not have a threshold amount.
However, it would be possible to have a threshold amount associated the
unbranded account. For instance, a threshold amount of $10.00 USD may be
associated with the unbranded account such that when the unbranded
account balance is below (or above) the amount, then a predetermined
action occurs. For instance, if the unbranded account has a threshold
amount of $100.00 USD, then the stored value card module 315 may transfer
the entire unbranded account balance to Electronic, Inc. stored value
card account such that the user may purchase the new smartphone she has
been wanting for the past six months.

[0136] One of skill in the art will appreciate that in many examples
herein the threshold amount is described as being reached when the
balance goes below the threshold amount. However, the threshold amount
may be reached when the balance is exactly the threshold amount. Further,
the threshold amount may be reached when the balance exceeds the
threshold amount.

[0137] Turning back to the process 700 depicted in FIG. 7, once the
threshold amount is defined, the process 700 proceeds to the block 715.
At the block 715, the user of the wireless device 105 may redeem the
balance of one of the stored value card accounts at a merchant. In one
embodiment, communication may occur between the client module 305 and the
server module 330. For instance, the stored value card module 315 within
the client module 305 may communicate with stored value card module 334
within the server module 330. The user may interact with any number of
menus, icons, widgets, screens etc. as presented by the user interface
module 329.

[0138] In another embodiment, the stored value card module 315 may be
engaged to communicate with the point-of-sale terminal 120 such that an
amount is transferred to the merchant via the point-of-sale terminal 120
(e.g., via the NFC terminal 124 or the barcode reader 122). In one
embodiment, the point-of-sale terminal 120 may communicate with the
server module 330. In another embodiment, the point-of-sale terminal 120
may contain the server module 330 such that the communication need not
traverse the network 130.

[0139] Turning to our illustrative example with Marla buying blue jeans,
Marla may present her wireless device at Clothing Co. to pay for blue
jeans priced at $43.92 USD. Marla uses her wireless device 105 to pay for
the transaction. Marla selects her Clothing Co. stored value card account
to pay. The client module 305 presents a 2-D barcode which is operable to
scanning by the barcode reader 122 at the point-of-sale 120. The merchant
scans the 2-D barcode from the screen of the wireless device 105. The
merchant's point-of-sale 120 communicates with the server module 330 to
authenticate the payment form. The server module 330 determines that
$44.00 USD is associated with Marla's Clothing Co. stored value card
account balance. The point-of-sale 120 indicates to the merchant that the
transaction is authorized and prints a paper receipt. The cashier gives
the paper receipt to Marla along with the blue jeans. The process 700
then proceeds to decision block 720.

[0140] At the decision block 720, the stored value card module 315 checks
the balance of the stored value card account used in the redemption at
the block 715. If the balance is not below the threshold amount, then the
process proceeds along the NO branch to the END block 730 at which point
the process 700 terminates. If the balance is below the threshold amount
stored, then the process 700 proceeds along the YES branch to the block
725. The preferences module 310 and the stored value card module 315 may
be utilized at the block 720 to determine if the balance is below, equal
to or above a threshold amount. Further, the client module 305 may
communicate with the server module 330 to make the determination at the
block 720.

[0141] In Marla's example, the remaining balance of her Clothing Co.
stored value card account would be $0.08 USD after the transaction
($44.00 USD-$43.92 USD=$0.08 USD). As such, the process 700 would move to
the block 725 in Marla's example.

[0142] At the block 725, the remaining balance is transferred to the
unbranded stored value card account. In one embodiment, the stored value
card module 315 manages the stored value card accounts and any transfers
among the plurality of stored value card accounts. Turning back to the
example with Marla, since the balance of her Target stored value card
account is $0.08 USD, the process 700 may transfer the $0.08 USD to the
unbranded account. Therefore, the unbranded account will go from $32.35
USD to $32.43 USD. Note Marla may continue to increase the balance of the
unbranded account until she decides to associate it with a stored value
card account belonging to a merchant. For instance, Marla may wait until
the unbranded stored value card account reaches $100.00 or more until she
associates it with Electronics, Inc. to buy the smartphone she did not
get for her birthday. FIG. 4 above describes in further detail process of
transferring balances between the stored value card accounts. The process
then proceeds to the END block 730 and terminates.

[0143] Turning to FIG. 8A through FIG. 8I, a series of screenshots and use
cases of the hybrid m-commerce system 100, 400 in use are depicted. The
series of screenshots and use cases may further illustrate the processes
500, 600, 700 depicted in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 respectively.

[0144]FIG. 8A depicts a scene 801 of a user 827 paying for coffee using
the hybrid m-commerce system 100, 400. The scene 801 shall serve as a
context to describe the rest of the figures within the series FIG. 8A
through FIG. 8I. However, the concepts presented herein shall be
considered illustrative and not limited to the hypothetical facts
described. The user 827 may hold the wireless device 828. In one
embodiment, the wireless device 828 is similar to the wireless device 105
described above. Further, the wireless device 828 may have a client
module 305 installed.

[0145] A point-of-sale terminal 829 may be operable to accept and process
payments by the user 827. The point-of-sale terminal 829 may have a
handheld barcode scanner 822 and an NFC terminal 826. Note the
point-of-sale terminal 829 may be similar to the point-of-sale terminal
120 depicted in FIG. 1. Further, the barcode scanner 822 may be similar
to the barcode reader 122 depicted in FIG. 1. Additionally, the NFC
terminal 826 may be similar to the NFC terminal 124 depicted in FIG. 1.

[0146] The point-of-sale terminal 829 may be operated by a cashier 835.
The cashier 835 may use the barcode scanner 822 to scan items for sale.
Further, the cashier 835 may utilize the barcode scanner 822 to scan
barcode images presented on the wireless device 828. One of skill in the
art will appreciate that some wireless devices may not be equipped with
NFC and may require scanning by the point-of-sale 829.

[0147] A banknote 833 may be used to complete the transaction along with
the wireless device 828. For instance, the user 827 may pay with the
banknote 833 and desire to adjust the cash change due using the wireless
device 828.

[0148] As an illustrative example, assume Alice is a young woman in her
mid-20s who works as a bartender at a popular night club. She uses her
wireless device 105 to manage many of her stored value card balances.
Alice finds that using her wireless device 105 in lieu of the plastic
cards to be liberating because she no longer needs to keep several
plastic cards in her wallet or purse at the same time. Further, having
the stored value cards in an electronic format connected to the server
module 330 allows her to transfer balances among the various stored value
card account accounts such that she never has to worry about losing some
of the stored value card balance.

[0149] However, like many people, Alice still relies on cash for many
transactions because she receives cash tips from her customers. Ideally,
Alice would like to keep her cash in her wireless device 105 as well, but
that would require depositing the cash at a bank or automatic teller
machine, which is yet another interruption to her busy lifestyle.
Instead, she simply spends cash as often as possible.

[0150]FIG. 8B depicts a screenshot 802 showing a graphical user interface
for managing stored value card accounts. At the top of the screen is a
user-friendly menu bar 804 stating "My Stored Value Cards." A plurality
of buttons 807 may be present, each of which associated with a stored
value card account. A Diner button 806 may be present and show a balance
of $26.85 USD. A Coffee Co. button 808 may be present showing a balance
of $4.97 USD. A Jeans Store button 810 may be present showing a balance
of $10.21 USD. An unused button 812 may be present since the user only
has three stored value card accounts, thus the user may add additional
stored value card accounts to the screenshot 802. In one embodiment,
pressing the unused button 812 may invoke a process for transferring an
amount from the unbranded account to a newly-created stored value card
account as described above in FIG. 4. An unbranded account button 814 may
be present and show a balance of $6.95 USD.

[0151] Turning to FIG. 8c, a screenshot 818 is depicted. The screenshot
818 generally shows how the display of the wireless device 105 would look
if the user prepared the client module 305 to pay for a transaction
involving cash. In one embodiment, the process 500 from FIG. 5 above may
be invoked.

[0152] The name of the merchant may be identified by a label 820. A 2-D
barcode 822 may be displayed on the screen such that the merchant may
scan the display of the wireless device 105 using a barcode reader 122 at
the point-of-sale terminal 120. A balance 824 of the stored value card
account may be displayed on the wireless device 105 as well.

[0153] One of skill in the art will appreciate that prior to the
screenshot 818, there may be an authentication stage requiring a user
name, a password, a personal identification number ("PIN"), a private
key, a public key, etc. Further, there may be an authorization stage
which requires the user to authorize the wireless device 105 to be used
in the transaction (e.g., a "Are you sure you would like to use the $4.97
USD balance at Coffee Co.?").

[0154] Going back to the example with Alice, she has a wallet full of
banknotes, mostly twenty dollar bills. She had a great night bartending
and would like to spend the banknotes before using her stored value card
account balances because it is risky carrying so much cash. Alice walks
into Coffee Co. and orders a large cappuccino, a muffin, and a bottled
water. She presses the Coffee Co. button 808 from FIG. 8A and invokes the
screenshot 818 shown in FIG. 8B. The stored value card module 315
determines the available balance and presents the balance 824 amount as
$4.97 USD. The merchant module 320 may determine, using a database, that
the point-of-sale 120 is not equipped with an NFC terminal 124 and thus
relies on presenting a 2-D barcode 822 operable to being scanned by the
point-of-sale terminal 120. Alice's order is placed on the counter and a
cashier asks for payment.

[0155] Turning to FIG. 8D, a screenshot 833 is depicted. The user 827 may
indicate to the cashier 835 that a portion of the transaction will be
paid using the banknote 833 while another portion of the transaction is
paid using one or more stored value card accounts. The user interface
module 329 may present a number of options, menus, radio buttons,
numbers, etc. such that the user 827 has control over how much of the
stored value card account's balance is used in the transaction.

[0156] In one embodiment, the point-of-sale terminal 829 may communicate
with the wireless device 828 using the network 130 from FIG. 1.
Alternatively, the wireless device 828 and the point-of-sale terminal 829
may communicate using NFC.

[0157] A banner 834 may generally show the name of the merchant. In one
embodiment, the merchant module 320 may be utilized to present
merchant-related information. A balance 836 may be shown on the screen of
the wireless device 828. In this example, the balance is $8.97 USD.

[0158] A total due 837 may be shown. In this example, the total due for
the transaction is $11.81 USD. Note that the total due 837 may be struck
out and adjusted based on how the user 827 opts to pay for at least a
portion of the transaction using the wireless device 828. As the user
changes options on the screen of the wireless device 828, the total due
837 may dynamically change to provide an indication in real-time to the
user 827.

[0159] A plurality of radio buttons 839 may be presented to allow the user
827 to select the manner in which the client module 305 will calculate
the amount to adjust the cash change amount. Each of the plurality of
radio buttons 839 corresponds to a row within the plurality of balances
and cash change amounts 845. A radio button 840 corresponds to using the
maximum amount of the stored value card account. Note that the "maximum"
amount in this example is the maximum amount which will not yield a cash
change portion payable in coin change. Note that many users find change
irritating but that same time would like to reduce the balance of stored
value card accounts. Thus, an amount 846 of $8.81 USD is payable from the
stored value card account in this example. The amount $8.81 USD leaves
$3.00 USD due to the merchant. Thus, if the banknote 833 is a twenty
dollar bill, then an amount 847 of $17.00 USD would be payable as cash
change to the user 827. The $17.00 USD would likely be paid as one ten
dollar bill, one five dollar bill, and two one dollar bills.

[0160] A radio button 841 corresponding to using a minimum amount of the
stored value card account balance may be shown. The "minimum" amount in
this case means the minimum amount necessary to eliminate the coin change
portion of any cash change due from the transaction. Note some users may
want to avoid cash change but do so in a manner that preserves the
balances of the stored value card accounts. Thus, an amount 848 of $0.81
is shown on the screen of the wireless device 828. The total due would be
$11.00 USD if the amount 848 of $0.81 were paid from the stored value
card account associated with the merchant. Note this would lead to an
amount 849 of $9.00 USD cash change being due to the user 827, which
would likely be payable as one five dollar bill and four one dollar
bills.

[0161] A radio button 842 corresponding to reducing the number of
banknotes may be presented on the screen of the wireless device 828. The
reducing banknotes button may be used to calculate the fewest number of
banknotes possible from a cash transaction. An amount 850 of $1.81 USD
would reduce the balance of the transaction from being $11.81 USD to
$10.00 USD. Thus, an amount 851 of $10.00 USD would be payable as cash
change. One of skill in the art will appreciate that such a reduction of
banknote change may be ideal for many users because receiving many
banknotes may be just as, if not more, irritating than receiving coin
change.

[0162] A radio button 843 corresponding to another amount may be present
to allow a user-defined or merchant-defined amount to be used to adjust
the cash change amount due. In such case, the wireless device 828 may
present a user-editable field allowing numeric entry.

[0163] In one embodiment, the selection of one of the plurality of radio
buttons 839 invokes the cash module 327 within the client module 305 such
that the calculations are done within the wireless device 828. The total
due 837 may be updated in real-time as the results of the cash module's
327 calculations are returned and communicated to the user interface
module 329.

[0164] A go button 853 may be presented to allow the user to authorize the
transaction using the parameters shown in the screenshot 835. The go
button 853 may be illuminated only after the user 827 selects one of the
plurality of radio buttons 839. An optional pop-up menu asking for
confirmation may be displayed (not shown).

[0165] Going back to the example with Alice, the cashier was last waiting
for payment for the large cappuccino, the muffin, and the bottled water.
Alice may place the twenty dollar banknote 833 on the cashier's 835
table. She may verbally indicate that she would like to pay using the
wireless device 828 and the banknote 833. The cashier 835 may prepare the
point-of-sale terminal 829 for acceptance of the amount to adjust the
cash change amount from the wireless device 828. Alice's wireless device
828 is not equipped with NFC, so the cashier 835 prepares to scan the
wireless device 828 using the barcode scanner 822. The point-of-sale
terminal 829 communicates to the server module 330, which notifies the
client module 305 within the wireless device 828 that the merchant is
ready for payment.

[0166] Alice may then be presented with the screenshot 835. Alice selects
the first radio button 840 to use the maximum amount of the stored value
card account balance. The cashier 835 takes the banknote 833 and places
the banknote 833 behind the point-of-sale terminal 829. Alice's wireless
device 828 presents an acknowledgment to her. Substantially
simultaneously, the point-of-sale 829 indicates to the cashier 835 the
amount of cash change due as adjusted by the wireless device 828 and the
hybrid m-commerce system 100, 400. The cashier then pays Alice $17.00 USD
in cash change.

[0167] Turning to a slightly modified scenario using the same actors from
FIG. 8A, assume Alice did not have a stored value card account associated
with the merchant Coffee Co. And, assume Alice walked into Coffee Co.
simply with a twenty dollar bill and her wireless device 828. Further,
assume she has never visited Coffee Co. before. With this modified
scenario in mind, turn to FIG. 8E depicting a receipt 855. If the user
827 did not have a stored value card account associated with the merchant
and paid cash, then the receipt 855 would likely be handed to the user
827 substantially simultaneously with the goods or services being
delivered.

[0168] The receipt 855 may have the name 857 of the merchant depicted
across the top of the receipt 855. The goods sold 859 may be enumerated
along with the amount. A plurality of calculated values 861 may be shown,
which includes a subtotal amount, a tax amount, a total due amount, and a
cash paid amount. A change due amount 863 may be shown as the last item
in the receipt 955.

[0169] One of skill in the art will appreciate that the receipt 955 may be
electronic or paper. For instance, the receipt 955 may be electronically
communicated to the wireless device 828 using NFC and stored in memory.
In one embodiment, the receipt 955 may be stored within the secure
element module 325.

[0170] Turning to FIG. 8F, a receipt 864 may be similarly presented to the
user 827. In many respects, the receipt 864 is similar to the receipt 955
from FIG. 8E. However, a change identifier code 865 may be presented at
the bottom of the receipt 864. As shown, the change identifier may be an
alphanumeric code "AV392R." A change identifier barcode 879 may be
presented as well for capture by a barcode reader or a camera using
computer recognition software. In one embodiment, the receipt 864 may be
utilized as part of the process 600 depicted in FIG. 6 above.

[0171] Note that the change identifier may be communicated to the wireless
device 828 electronically. For instance, an SMS message may be sent to
the wireless device 828 based upon a telephone phone number given to the
merchant during the checkout process. In another example, the user 827
may communicate a user ID to the merchant such that the change identifier
is virtually applied to one or more stored value card accounts belonging
to the user 827.

[0172] Going back to the modified example with Alice, assuming she paid
using a twenty dollar banknote, then she would be entitled to $8.19 USD
cash change. Instead of receiving the cash change, Alice may receive a
receipt 864 containing the change identifier in one or more formats. The
change identifier may be presented as a change identifier code 865, a
change identifier barcode 879, or combination thereof. Note that Alice
would not receive any banknotes, because the change identifier serves as
a record of the transaction's cash change amount. Alice may later redeem
the change identifier for the monetary equivalent of the cash change due.

[0173] Turning to FIG. 8G, a screenshot 866 depicts the inputting of a
change identifier into the wireless device 828. A text entry field 890
may be operable to user input. The text entry field 890 may be
auto-completed after a communication from the point-of-sale terminal 829.
For instance, the point-of-sale terminal 829 may communicate the change
identifier directly to the wireless device 828 at substantially the same
time as the paper or electronic receipt is given to the user 827.

[0174] In one embodiment, a camera on the wireless device 828 may be
utilized to capture the change identifier if the change identifier is
printed on a paper receipt. For instance, the change identifier may be
embodied as the change identifier code 865 or the change identifier
barcode 879 from FIG. 8F above. In another embodiment, the change
identifier may be presented on a computer screen connected to the
point-of-sale. Further, the user 827 may utilize the camera input field
892 to capture directly from the computer screen. Thus, a camera input
field 892 may be generally operable to assist the user in capture and
acquisition of the change identifier.

[0175] Once the change identifier has been entered into the wireless
device 828, a go button 894 may be selected. Once the go button 894 is
selected the change identifier may be redeemed via the redemption module
322 within the client module 305. Further, the redemption module 322 may
communicate to the server module's 330 redemption module 338 as well in
order to authenticate the change identifier. Once authenticated, the
amount of money associated with the change identifier may be added to one
or more stored value card accounts via the stored value card module 315.

[0176] Going back to the example with Alice, remember that in the modified
example, she has no stored value card account with Coffee Co. As such,
when she inputs the change identifier into the wireless device 828 the
amount of money associated with the change identifier may be added to the
unbranded stored value card account or a newly created stored value card
account associated with the merchant Coffee Co. Thus, paying cash while
using the hybrid m-commerce system 100, 400 provides an opportunity to
invite new users to move money into stored value card accounts. Further,
on subsequent transactions, Alice can transfer the money previously
associated with the change identifier to one or more stored value card
accounts.

[0177] Turning to FIG. 8H, a screenshot 871 depicting the setting of a
threshold amount is depicted. In one embodiment, the process 700 from
FIG. 7 above may be invoked. A label 869 identifies the currently
selected merchant. General instructions 872 may be present to assist the
user. A pull-down menu 873 may be present to allow the user to select a
threshold amount from a predetermined plurality of threshold amounts. In
one embodiment, the threshold amount may be manually entered via a
free-text field (not shown). Once the user has determined the threshold
amount, a save button 877 may be selected thus saving the threshold
amount. In one embodiment, the threshold amount is saved within the
preferences module 310.

[0178] In the example shown in FIG. 8H, the threshold amount is reached
when the Coffee Co. stored value card account balance goes below $1.00.
Turning back to our example with Alice, if Alice continues to use her
Coffee Co. stored value card account to reduce the cash change amount of
cash transactions, then eventually the Coffee Co. stored value card
account balance may be too low to adjust the change amount. Thus, she is
better served if that amount is automatically transferred to the
unbranded account where it can later be used (potentially with another
merchant). In one embodiment, she could utilize the hybrid m-commerce
system 400 described in FIG. 4 above to transfer money between stored
value card accounts.

[0179] Turning to FIG. 8I, a screenshot 880 depicts automatically
transferring money from the unbranded account to a selected stored value
card account upon reaching the threshold amount. A label 879 may display
the unbranded account prominently to provide user guidance. A balance 881
may be shown indicating to the user the current balance of the unbranded
stored value card account. A pull-down menu 883 may be present containing
a plurality of merchant names currently associated with the hybrid
m-commerce system 100, 400. In one embodiment, a free-text field (not
shown) may be shown to allow the user to manually enter and look up a
merchant not otherwise listed. Instructions 887 may be present to guide
the user through the process of defining a threshold amount. Yet another
pull-down menu 885 may be shown to allow the user to select from a
plurality of threshold amounts. A save button 886 may be displayed to
allow the user to save the threshold amount.

[0180] In one embodiment, the threshold amount is stored in the
preferences module 310 within the client module 305. Note that one or
more threshold amounts may be associated with one or more stored value
card accounts as described in FIG. 5 above.

[0181] In sum, the screenshot 879 clearly shows how the user 827 may
utilize the wireless device 828 to establish a threshold amount with the
unbranded account. Thus, if the unbranded account exceeds $10.00 USD in
this example, then the unbranded account balance may automatically
transfer to the Diner stored value card account. In one embodiment, the
hybrid m-commerce system 400 described in FIG. 4 may be invoked to
transfer money between the stored value card accounts.

[0182] Turning back to the example with Alice, if Alice continued to
gather change identifiers from merchants, she would amass a large balance
in the unbranded account. She may wish to utilize this money and spend it
at merchants. Further, she may wish to spend it at a different merchant.
Therefore, setting the threshold amount to automatically transfer an
amount of money to a particular stored value card account provides an
effortless way for Alice to use the money she would otherwise receive as
cash change.

[0183] Security is an ever-present concern with many computing systems. As
such any transmitting, receiving, processing, determining, defining, etc.
may be encoded, encrypted, or protected using any number of commonly
known cryptography ("crypto") techniques or cryptosystems. Examples of
cryptosystems include RSA encryption, Schnorr signature, PGP encryption,
El-Gamal encryption, etc. One of skill in the art will appreciate the
security concerns and address them accordingly upon implementation of
some embodiments.

[0184] One of skill in the art will appreciate that the some of the
foregoing embodiments have described the merchant as operating a physical
or "brick-and-mortar" place of business, but the proposed solution may be
implemented to be used for online merchants as well. For example,
Amazon.com is a large merchant of online goods and services. In one
embodiment, an online merchant may utilize the marketing campaign
proposed in some of the embodiments above. Further, online merchants may
operate the server 110 (or a functional equivalent) within their own
servers, which are already required for their online storefront. In one
embodiment, these online merchants may specially brand the client module
305 and/or the server 110 in order to promote their online goods and
services.

[0185] One of skill in the art will appreciate that some of the methods
and systems proposed in this application may require compliance with acts
preventing money laundering, racketeering, tax evasion, terrorism, etc.
For instance, the system proposed herein may require the users to provide
a Social Security number and state-issued driver's license before
exchanging money from an unbranded gift card for cash (or vice versa).
One of skill in the art will need to undertake the necessary legal
research and legal compliance before deploying such a system in the
marketplace. The legal requirements of each jurisdiction in the world are
far beyond the scope of this document. Further, as the world progresses
toward cashless economies, the laws of each jurisdiction will change
accordingly.

[0186] The trademarks and trade names of entities are used in this
application for illustrative purposes only such that a real-world context
is given to the solutions proposed herein. The trademarks and trade names
are the property of their respective owners and no affiliation or
endorsement should be derived from their limited use in this detailed
description.

[0187] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may
be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination
thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or
transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a
computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer
storage media and communication media including any medium that
facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A
storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a
computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable
media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk
storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in
the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a
computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable
medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,
server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,
twisted pair, digital subscriber line ("DSL"), or wireless technologies
such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber
optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as
infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.
Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc ("CD"), laser disc,
optical disc, digital versatile disc ("DVD"), floppy disk, High
Definition DVD ("HD-DVD") and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce
data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.
Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of
computer-readable media.

[0188] Although selected embodiments have been illustrated and described
in detail, it will be understood that various substitutions and
alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.

Patent applications by Robert Dessert, Canton, GA US

Patent applications in class Including funds transfer or credit transaction

Patent applications in all subclasses Including funds transfer or credit transaction